


Do I Wanna Know If This Feeling Flows Both Ways

by Tea__Bee



Series: Cuddle Prompts [8]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Anxious Caleb Widogast, Caleb Widogast Deserves Nice Things, Cat Cuddles, Hangover, Jester Really Wants To Meddle, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, so does Molly, widomauk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 15:34:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18101375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea__Bee/pseuds/Tea__Bee
Summary: Prompt # 9: FrumpkinEveryone wakes up after a night of too much drinking, and Caleb and Molly have some misunderstandings.Follows right after Take My HandTitle from Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys





	Do I Wanna Know If This Feeling Flows Both Ways

Caleb groaned, putting a hand to his eyes to block out the sun streaming into the room. _Gods, what happened last night?_ He lay still, trying to take stock of his memories.

 _He was holding Molly’s hand. They had been drinking and laughing, and Caleb had been… flirting. Definitely flirting with Molly. That was a bad idea. Molly just liked physical contact, he had been playing with Caleb’s hair, like he would with anyone, because that’s just who he was, and Caleb had ruined it by letting it affect him. Gods, he’d nearly_ kissed _him, he’d wanted to, but Molly could never want him like that, he shouldn’t have been flirting. Molly was smiling at him, but was it fond or… no, it was_ placating _, pitying. He knew Caleb was flirting with him, and he felt bad, he was trying to get him to sleep, to let the drunkenness wear off so Caleb would leave him alone. Gods, Molly was being so kind and Caleb was ruining it by flirting with him. Molly tried to go to sleep in peace, and Caleb moved his bedroll closer, taking his hand again, and Molly had allowed it, but it hadn’t meant anything, he was just feeling bad for Caleb._

Caleb opened his eyes, just slightly, and saw Molly was still sleeping. He looked around, checking everyone else, and found he was the only one awake so far. He was still holding Molly’s hand, and he pulled away quickly, causing Molly to wake with a start. He rubbed his eyes, taking in the sight of Caleb sitting in front of him, recoiled with his hand pulled back. “Caleb? Sweethe-”

“I have to go.” Caleb grabbed his coat and shoes, practically running from the room with Frumpkin following at his heels, not even bothering to put the boots on before leaving. He couldn’t stay here and let Molly give him a pitying look and tell him everything was fine, when Caleb knew he’d overstepped last night. He slammed the door behind him, wincing first at the sound, then again as he heard groans coming from the room, meaning he’d woken the rest of the group. He swore under his breath, pulling his boots on without lacing them and hurrying down the stair to the tavern, running into someone on their way up the stairs. Hands found his shoulder, steadying him before he fell, and he looked up into Yasha’s face. “You’re back,” he said.

“Is everything okay?” She asked softly, searching his face.

“ _Ja_ , everything is fine,” he lied. “Everyone is upstairs. The second room on the left.”

She let him go, nodding. “Thank you,” she said, moving past him toward the room.

He sighed, throwing his coat on and walking across the room to the farthest table from where he’d sat with Molly the night before.

…

Everyone, save for Jester, who hadn’t drank, and Nott, who had a very high hangover threshold, was holding their heads in their hands, still reeling from Caleb slamming the door. Molly was struggling to get up to follow him, worried, but before he could let the room stop spinning and reach the door, it opened again. Yasha stood on the other side, and Jester sent up a cheer at the sight of her, much to the dismay of the others.

Yasha helped Molly to his feet, and he sunk into her arms, mumbling so that only she would hear him, “I think I messed up, Yash.”

She hugged him tight. “Is that why he looked so disheveled when I ran into him on the stairs?” She murmured back. He nodded into her shoulder, tears springing to his eyes before he could stop them. “Come on, let’s go outside.” She took him by the hand and waved to the group, leading him out into the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door, not stopping when Caleb stood abruptly at the sight of them, pushing his chair back with a loud scrape, eyes wide, torn between running to Molly and running as far away as he could.

Molly caught Caleb’s eye. He furrowed his brow questioningly, but Caleb just looked at him, mouth open slightly, like he wanted to say something. Yasha pulled Molly out the door before he could try to talk to him.

They walked down the street a ways, stopping when they reached where the cart was stored.

“Okay, so what happened, exactly, because you say you think you messed up, but Caleb sure looked like he thought he was the guilty one,” she said, looking confused.

“I think we almost… well, we did almost… there was _flirting_. I thought it was mutual, but this morning seemed… like he regretted it? Nothing _happened_ , don't look at me like that,” he said as she widened her eyes. “l mean, almost, but then there was the sudden realization the _whole group_ was in one _fucking_ room. That was a bit of a buzzkill, but I thought we'd at least talk about it this morning. Clearly, that didn't happen. I-I'm having _feelings_ , Yasha!” He groaned, knocking his forehead into the wooden frame of the cart. “Real feelings! Not just physical! Though, gods, have you seen the man in a ponytail? What am I supposed to _do_ ?”  
  
“Tell him?” She smirked, clearly amused by his pain.

  
“That is not helpful and you know it. Gods, you should have seen him this morning. He pulled his hand from mine so fast, like I'd slapped it or bitten it or something, when _he_ was the one who reached for _me_ for once! He looked at me like he regretted even thinking about anything happening, like it was all a spur of the moment, drunken mistake and he was _horrified_ at the thought. He's probably relieved we were interrupted. This is going to make everything so awkward, Yasha,” he sighed, leaning his head against her arm, feeling pitiful. “I really wanted it to be real,” he whispered, shaking his head.  

“Oh, Molly,” she said, hugging him again. “I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding.”

“No, he changed his mind, he decided he didn't want me the way I thought he did last night. It was just the alcohol, and he realized it when he woke up this morning. But I still want _him_ , Yash. I thought we were getting closer, I thought… I thought he might like me, too. I don't think I've ever wanted something this bad, but I really thought this could work, that he could be… that we could really be something, if he let his guard down, and I swear he was starting to. I don't know what happened, maybe I just… maybe I was too much, too fast, and I ruined it.”

“Then maybe you just need to back up a little, wait him out some more. It isn't hopeless, Molly, you might just have to be patient with him. I'm sure everything isn't ruined, you've just taken a step back,” she wiped a tear from the corner of Molly's eye before it could fall, and sighed. She would have to talk to Nott and see what could be done.

…

When Nott came downstairs a little ahead of the rest of the group, she found Caleb banging his head lightly on the table, eliciting confused looks from the other patrons in the room. She hurried over, pulling herself up onto the chair next to him and sticking her hand under his forehead before it could hit the table again. “Caleb, what's going on? I was waiting for you to be ready to tell me, but come on, you've been upset since the morning after Molly helped you with your nightmare,” she saw the rest of the group coming downstairs in various states of dishevelment, caught Jester's eye as quickly as she could, widening her eyes and shaking her head frantically.

Jester gasped, thinking quickly as she realized Nott needed some time alone with Caleb. “Come on, guys, let's sit over here, come on you hungover little babies!” She cheerfully, loudly chirped, causing them all to groan, allowing her to herd them to a table away from the apparent wizard-drama going on in the corner. Hopefully Nott would fill her in later.

Satisfied they wouldn't be bothered, Nott turned back to Caleb. “Did I do the wrong thing, getting Molly to help you with the nightmare? I just thought… it seemed like you wanted him there, since you said his name, and-”

“No, Nott, it is nothing you did, my friend,” Caleb grumbled, turning toward her. “I… I was glad you brought Molly to help. I did, I-I… needed him. I needed Mollymauk. _Götter_ , I'm pitiful.”

“Needing someone doesn't make you pitiful,” she tried to reassure him. “It just means you're trusting someone to be there for you, and that's _good_ , Caleb. And Molly didn't mind, did he? He was very kind to help you, he didn't even hesitate when I asked.”

“ _Ja_ , he was _kind_ , because we are part of the group, he did not _mind_ helping. And I… I let myself _want_ ,” he clenched his jaw. “I _wanted_ more than just the kindness he offered, I wanted… I let myself think of him in a-a _romantic_ way,” Caleb groaned, knocking his head on the table again before Nott could stop him.

She widened her eyes, looking around to make sure the noise hadn't attracted any attention from the group. They seemed fully engrossed in their meal, soaking up their hangovers with greasy food as Jester plied them with as much water as possible. Nott realized Caleb hadn't eaten, either, flagging down someone to bring them some food, and turning her attention back to her boy. “Caleb, are you saying you have a crush on Molly?” She whispered. She took the resulting groan as confirmation. “Well that isn't so bad, he seems fine, he didn't garrote you when I told him not to, and _he_ was the one who came to _me_ suggesting we help you get Frumpkin back! _And_ you guys seemed pretty cozy last night, I mean, you were holding hands, don't think I didn't notice. So what's wrong?”

“ _Nein_ , he was just pacifying me last night, he knew I was too drunk, and I… oh, Nott, I feel I was laying it on thick, I flirted with him, and I am not good at that. He must have found me so awkward. He held my hand to appease me, but he was only being _kind_ again. H-he probably only helped me get Frumpkin back so I would leave him be,” Caleb sighed, pulling the fey cat from underneath the table into his lap. “I am hopeless, Nott. I really let myself hope, and I know better than that. I know better than to allow myself to care like that. I do not deserve to have it reciprocated, and I let myself want him anyway. He is too… too vibrant, too beautiful, for a garbage person like me.”

“Oh, Caleb, that's not true, you deserve everything you want. If Molly doesn't feel the same, _he's_ the one who's hopeless,” she only wished she could make Caleb listen to her, make him believe it.

“I almost kissed him, Nott,” he whispered, looking up to hold back tears at the thought. “I wanted to. I am just glad that I did not embarrass myself that completely.”

Nott and Caleb both jumped in surprise as the tavern door opened, revealing Yasha and Molly. Molly looked absolutely miserable, seeking out Caleb immediately and looking at him with sad eyes. Caleb couldn't even look at him, choosing to bury his head in his hands as Yasha led Molly over to where Jester and the rest of the group were sitting. Nott sighed, pulling Caleb as best she could into her small arms to hug him. “It's going to be okay,” she patted his head, thinking she might want to talk to Yasha about this and figure out how Molly was really feeling about the situation.

…

After talking to the innkeeper, Nott secure the second room of the inn, now that it was empty, and led Caleb there to sleep off his hangover. She reassured him that everything would be fine, stroking his hair until he fell asleep, them immediately hurried out of the room in search of Yasha. Luckily, she didn't have to go far, seeing Yasha leaving the group's room at the same time she left Caleb's. The small woman looked up at the tall one, and they both nodded, heading down to the tavern again.

They sat at the bar, Nott ordering a drink and sitting for a moment silently, trying to figure out how to approach the subject.

“So, um, the thing is-”

“Nott, I need to talk to you about-”

They both stopped as they spoke over each other. Yasha gestured for Nott to go first.

“I'm assuming Molly filled you in on… what happened last night?”

“You mean, what did not happen, yes?”

Nott grimaced. “Yeah,” she sighed, worried her boy was going to end up more hurt now that she was meddling. She chose her words carefully. “Caleb feels… um, sort of embarrassed?”

Yasha clenched her jaw, concerned that Molly may have been right about Caleb regretting the situation. “Molly doesn't want him to feel bad, at all. It isn't a bad thing, to… to change your mind, when the alcohol wears off.”

Nott squinted, confused. “Change his mind? About what? He said he thought Molly was just… brushing him off, being nice but trying to get some, I don't know, distance, let him down easy. What did Molly even say?”

“No, Molly wanted… definitely did not want space,” Yasha laughed quietly, looking up for a moment as someone sat down next to her, then back down at Nott, who had a hopeful look on her face. “So, wait. If Caleb wanted this, and Molly wanted this, why are _we_ talking about this and not letting _them_ figure out their feelings?”

Nott shrugged, “Boys are kind of dumb sometimes, I guess.” She took a big swig of her drink and heard the elf that had sat next to Yasha giggle in a familiar way. Making quick eye contact with Yasha, they both turned to look at the third woman.

“Oh, oops! Guess I'm not so good at eavesdropping,” Jester's voice came from the unfamiliar mouth before she dropped the disguise. “So Molly and Caleb are in _looove_?”

“Jester! We're having a _private conversation_ here!” Nott scolded.

“You didn't pick a very private place, you guys! It's not my fault it was so easy to hear you,” Jester shrugged. “ _So_ , how are we going to get these dumb boys together?”

“We shouldn't interfere. We should let them sort out this mess themselves, they both feel the same, yes? We can just wait it out,” Yasha suggested.

“But Caleb doesn't think Molly _does_ feel the same. He thinks Molly was just being nice,” Nott objected.

“So you can just tell him he's wrong! And they will get together and smooch, and live happily ever after, of course!”

“Jester, he won't believe me, he doesn't think he deserves for Molly to care about him the way he wants him to,” Nott groaned, feeling very unsure of the whole situation at this point. “He's wrong, of course, but I'm very rarely able to convince him that he deserves the things he wants, especially if it's someone caring about him.”

“Maybe he'll believe Yasha, then. She can tell him what Molly told _her,_ and _then_ they will get together and smooch, and live happily ever after. Probably.” Jester frowned, not liking that this was getting more complicated.

Yasha shook her head, “Molly told me this because he trusted me not to say anything. I am already breaking that trust telling Nott, and now you, Jester, have made me break it further by eavesdropping.” She gave Jester a stern look, but Jester just smiled back at her. “I cannot tell Caleb, it would be very rude and Molly could get hurt further if Caleb does change his mind after all.”

“So, what, we're just stuck? We can't help them at all?” Nott slams down her now empty drink, frustrated.

“We will just have to wait and see what happens,” Yasha said, her and Nott looking meaningfully at Jester. “None of us will say anything, yes?”

“ _Fine,_ fine, you guys are no fun,” Jester pouted.

…

Once everyone had slept off their hangovers, the Mighty Nein got back on the road, loading everything and everyone back onto the cart.

Yasha joined Jester and Fjord up front, Beau keeping an eye out the back from her perch atop the cover, and Nott, Caleb, and Molly found themselves in the inner area of the cart.

Molly tucked himself against the far end of the cart, trying to avoid making Caleb feel awkward about the night before.

Caleb saw Molly clearly trying to stay as far from him as possible, and winced. He really had ruined everything. Nott patted his arm, smiling and handing Frumpkin to him as she settled in. “Caleb?” She whispered as the cart started to move. He looked down at her, smiling back a bit sadly. “I know you're feeling bad because you think he doesn't feel the same, but I want you to know…” she glanced over, making sure Molly wasn't listening. Seeing he was just shuffling his cards with a melancholy look on his face, she continued quietly. “I think that you're wrong. He definitely cares about you, and I'm, well, I can't speak for him, exactly, but… I'm pretty sure he wants to be with you, too. Don't ask me where I get my information!” She rushed out, waving a hand at him. “But trust me. You trust me right?”

“Of course, _schatz_ , but-”

“No, no buts!” She whisper-yelled. “You just have to trust me, like always. You can make this work out, you just have to figure out how. You should talk to him. Tell him. I won't make you, if you… if you've changed your mind, or something like that, but… you should consider it. I don't think it's hopeless.” And with that, she snuggled down into his side and pretended to fall fast asleep, hoping she had gotten through to him. No matter what, she just wanted him to be happy. And he had certainly looked happy last night, with his hand locked in Molly's grasp.

Caleb looked down at Nott's sleeping form, sighing. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was just overthinking this whole thing. He took a chance, glancing up at Molly, who was shuffling his cards quietly, his brow furrowed as he fumbled the cards a bit, causing some to scatter in Caleb's direction. Molly crawled across the floor of the cart on his hands and knees to reach the farthest cards. He looked up, finally, making eye contact with Caleb, and they held each other's gazes for a moment, both unsure of what to say. Molly looked down, gathering his cards and scooting back to his own space before hazarding another glance at Caleb. He was looking at him with a thoughtful look on his face, and when their eyes met, he smiled. Molly raised his eyebrows and smiled back, relieved that maybe things didn't need to be so awkward going forward.

Caleb couldn't think of what to say. He wanted to believe Nott, but he still had his doubts. Molly was confident, beautiful, and funny. He was cocky, but kind. Caleb thought back and remembered the way he'd rubbed his thumb over the back of Caleb's hand the night before, the way he'd smiled. Molly was usually pretty straightforward, as far as Caleb could tell, so wouldn't he have _told_ him by now if he had been uncomfortable or if he didn't feel the same way?

He remembered the way Molly's eyes had glittered before opening the door, and further back, how he had run his fingers through Caleb's hair. Then there was that moment, something that felt like ages ago now, after Caleb's nightmare when Molly had run a thumb across Caleb's jaw, and just barely against his lips, like maybe… maybe he'd been thinking about kissing him. Maybe Nott was right. Caleb needed to think this through, he didn't want to screw it up for real. He looked down at Frumpkin, who was curled against his leg, considering.

Molly could feel Caleb's eyes on him still, and felt heat rising in his cheeks as a result. He didn't know what the man was thinking, but he hoped, faintly, that he was thinking about last night in a good light. Yasha had said that it was possible he just needed more time, and Molly really hoped it was true. He could be patient, if it meant having some hope that this hadn't gone completely awry. He felt something bump against his knee, and looked up to see Frumpkin headbutting him. He reached out a hand and scratched his soft ears, and the cat looked up into his eyes, tilting his head and making a soft rumbling chirp sound. Molly looked to Caleb, surprised to find him smiling softly back at him, like he had last night. Frumpkin pawed at Molly's hand, bringing his attention back before curling up in his lap, starting to purr. Molly scratched the cat's chin and supposed this might be Caleb's way of reassuring him that he just needed time, but that everything was going to be alright between them. He'd let Caleb have his time. He could wait. For now, he was content to snuggle up to Frumpkin and hold onto hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof.
> 
> Sorry(sort of). Yell at me in the comments, if you must, I deserve it.
> 
> J


End file.
